Build an Effective Mosquito Trap for Cheap

Monday 10th June 2013

To keep mosquitoes from wrecking a camping trip, bothering your picnic, or sucking your blood in your backyard, trap them using this DIY trap project.

Since mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we, and other animals, breathe out, the idea is to lure them into thinking that there is an animal or human breathing inside the trap. Another option might be dry ice but it dissipates fairly quickly.

Here are the supplies you will need.

A 2 liter pop bottle
A sharp knife
Black paper
Tape

Candy thermometer

First you start by taking a 2 liter pop bottle. Cut off the top right below where it starts to narrow for the top. Next, turn it over and place inside the lower half. Seal the two parts of the bottle with tape. Be sure to remove the cap.

The next thing to do is mix up the bait for the trap. Here is the recipe for it.

Dissolve the sugar in a container of hot water. Then stir in 1 tsp. of active dry yeast into the sugar water. When it is mixed together well. Pour the mixture into the trap. The yeast will start to eat the sugar and produce carbon dioxide. If it is working, you should see the water getting bubbly at the top. Wrap the black paper around the pop bottle to keep the inside dark.

Place the trap near to where you will be siting or camping. Don't put it in the middle of where you will be but off to the side at least 30 feet away upwind. It should work for about two weeks before needing to be replaced.

About the author: Daniel Baldwin

I run a web development business located in the hills of Sweet Home, OR. I am interested in health, Christianity, gardening, and storable food.